The ballot is finalized (at least for now) in what is shaping up to be a dramatic 2026 race for Los Angeles mayor. Below is a list of who is running, beginning with the top candidates. While the ballot is set, some candidates on this list could still drop out.
### Karen Bass
Karen Bass was elected Los Angeles’ first female and second Black mayor in 2022 after decades of service in various elected offices. She has focused on homelessness and public safety, while facing sharp criticism over the city’s response to the 2025 fires.
**Read more:** [Karen Bass profile (published 2022)]() | [Bass and response to Palisades fire (published 2025)]()
### Rae Huang
Community organizer Rae Huang is also a minister and a dues-paying member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. She serves as the deputy director of Housing Now California, a coalition that fights displacement of tenants at the state and local levels. Huang is challenging Bass from the left. Could she become L.A.’s next progressive leader?
**Read more:** [She’s challenging Bass from the left. Could she become L.A.’s Mamdani?]()
### Adam Miller
Adam Miller is a nonprofit co-founder and tech executive. He co-founded Better Angels, a nonprofit focused on preventing homelessness and building affordable housing. Miller made a fortune developing education software and now brings his entrepreneurial experience to the race.
**Read more:** [Tech entrepreneur enters L.A. mayor’s race, becoming the latest to take on Karen Bass]()
### Spencer Pratt
Reality TV star and activist Spencer Pratt is a Republican candidate who has received praise from an array of Trump supporters, including Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and U.S. Senator Rick Scott of Florida. He has focused heavily on the city’s handling of the devastating fire that destroyed his home. Pratt is best known for starring in reality TV shows such as *The Hills* and *Laguna Beach*.
**Read more:** [Pratt announces candidacy for mayor: A challenge from the right in the race for L.A. mayor]()
### Nithya Raman
L.A. City Council member Nithya Raman, elected in 2020, was the first council member to be supported by the Democratic Socialists of America. She is also aligned with YIMBY groups (Yes In My Backyard) who advocate for increased housing production in Los Angeles. Raman is challenging onetime ally Karen Bass in this race.
**Read more:** [Councilmember Nithya Raman to run for L.A. mayor, challenging onetime ally Karen Bass]() | [Raman’s 2024 reelection fight (published 2024)]()
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### Additional Candidates
– Misael Ortega
– Cassandra Faye Floyd
– Tish Hyman
– Adam Jeffrey Carmichael
– Juanita Lopez
– Stevie Maceo
– Milan Asaad Alnajjar
– Griselda Diaz
– Keeldar Shawn Hamilton
– Alyxandria-Jamil Carter
– Nick Harron
– Joseph Garcia
– Robert “Goody” Goodman
– Vincent Wali
– Franziska Von Fischer
– Andrew K. Kim
– Nelson Cheng
– Andrej A. Selivra
– Bryant Acosta
– Suzy Kim
– Jeanne Moller Fontana
– Preston James Miller
– Ernesto G. Castelli
– Carmenlina Minasova
– Jerry R. Tyler
– Katya Forsyth
– Erik Daniel Garcia
– Alyssa Ball
– Laura Garza
– Victor F. Montes
– Douglas Nichols
– Debra “Jerri” Duggan
– Benji Guerrero
– Eoin Richard Connolly
– John Logsdon
As the race unfolds, keep an eye on possible candidate changes and new developments shaping the future of Los Angeles.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-02-07/who-is-running-for-la-mayor
